Finnish Short Films 2006

F I N N I S H S H O R T F I L M S 2 0 0 6 

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Contents 

Make It Short 4 

Aarne 6 

Animal 8 

BANG! 10 

Body Language 12 

Butterfly Lovers 14 

Cameraman’s Dream – episode IV 16 

Fokus 18 

Great Journey, The 20 

Hedgehog Thing 22 

Hercules 24 

In a Nostalgic Way 26 

Leading Lady, The 28 

My Economic Life 30 

Nature and Health 32 

Off the Meter 34 

Opportunist 36 

Optical Sound 38 

Queue, The 40 

Sam 42 

Siberian Express 44 

Spring 46 

Superhero’s Son 48 

They Throw Dwarfs Too, Don’t They 50 

War 52 

Wedding, The 54 

Zoo 56 

Contacts 58

Make It Short 

AVEK (the Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture), in collaboration with The Finnish Film 

Foundation and Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) Co-productions, announced the Make It 

Short project in October, 2004 to raise the profile of the short medium and particularly to encourage 

filmmakers to make and offer short films in all their forms. 

The underlying reason for the project was a clear decline in short films being produced and 

the desire to celebrate the centenary of Finnish short films and also the ten years of the New 

Cinema programme on YLE’s Channel One. 

The proposed projects had to meet the following requirements: a duration of less than 15 

minutes, budget of no more than 50 000 Euros and a professional filmmaker. In order to ensure 

as many participants as possible, a production company or a producer was not required at the 

proposal stage, only after if the proposal was chosen. Thus screenwriters without directors could 

enter too. The project was received enthusiastically, and there were 211 proposals. Ten were chosen 

to represent different filmmakers, views and genres. 

The films will be shown together for the first time at the Nordisk Panorama in Århus in 2006.

The proposals selected are: 

Neuvonen Laura: 

Möbleeraaja 

An animated film about a relationship and the challenge of decorating. 

Vilhunen Selma: 

Jätkä ja hevonen 

A documentary film about the life and work of Asko and Myrsky. 

Juutilainen Tommi: 

Ankkuri 

An animated film about men in the sea who experience 

a transcendent connection with themselves and each other. 

Webster John: 

Hiihtäjät 

A documentary film about men who skied for their life sixty years ago. 

Now they compete by skiing – once a year. 

Illi Esa: 

Hedgehog Thing [ Siilijuttu ] 

(page 22 in this catalogue) 

Good deeds lead to good mood. Fiction. 

Arpalahti Laura: 

Järvi 

Those who seek may not necessarily find what they want. Fiction. 

Korhonen Timo: 

Kainuulaisia 

A film about forest thinning and a conservationist in a wolf-fur coat. 

Fiction. 

Nikki Teemu: 

Opportunist [ Menestyjä ] 

(page 36 in this catalogue) 

A child shows initiative. Fiction. 

Lehtinen Mika: 

Numero 

Life on a scale of one to ten. Documentary. 

Kasurinen Pentti, Lundsten John: 

Jumalan hampaat 

Faith is put to the test at a confirmation camp. 

Fiction. 

5


Documentary | 2005 | 

Digital Betacam | 16:9 | 

Stereo | 15’ 

Director, script, editor: 

Mervi Junkkonen 

Cinematography: 

Tuomo Hutri 

Sound design: 

Esa Nissi 

Music: 

Girilal Baars 

Producer: 

Kimmo Paananen 

Production: 

Klaffi Productions 

Production support: 

The Finnish Film Foundation 

Aarne 

Aarne, 86, lives by himself on a small farm near Oulunsalo airport. He doesn’t want to move 

to an old people’s home though his knees are weak and joints stiff with arthritis. Wild cats that 

roam his garden by the dozen keep him company. Daily routines and the cats make Aarne’s life 

worth living. 

Mervi Jukkonen 

Mervi Junkkonen (born 1975) has 

studied documentary directing and 

editing at the University of Art and 

Design Helsinki, UIAH. She has 

made the films Barbeiros (2001), 

Saana (Saanan tahto, 2003) and 

About a Farm (Hiljainen tila, 2004). 

She has won several prizes at film 

festivals around the world. 

6


Animation | 2005 | 

Digibeta, 35 mm | 1:1,85 | 28’ 

Director, script, editing: 

Tatu Pohjavirta 


Anu Keränen 

Animation: 

Mark Ståhle, Tatu Pohjavirta 

Sound design: 

Salla Hämäläinen 

Music: 

Alamaailman Vasarat 

Producer: 

Jyrki Kaipainen 

Production: 

Elokuvaosuuskunta Camera Cagliostro 


AVEK, The Finnish Film Foundation 

Financing TV company: 

YLE 

Animal 

[ E l u k k a ] 

Animal is a story about a single parent father who is turning into a werewolf, his son who has 

mixed his body with a lamb in an accident, and a female doctor – the subject of the father’s 

desire. In Animal, the director tells the story in his very personal style. Twisted humour and folk 

story horror go hand in hand, and laughter sticks in one’s throat. Tatu Pohjavirta’s films are full 

of action but with a philosophical background. 

Tatu’s characters have rough and very earthy appearances, and it is easy for the viewer to identify 

with them. The earthbound music of Alamaailman Vasarat fits the story perfectly. The music 

creates its own worlds and gives the film its own rhythm. An adult audience and children from 

12 years upwards are likely to enjoy this absurd and brutal story about human relations. 

Tatu Pohjavirta 

Tatu Pohjavirta graduated from the Turku Arts 

Academy (1997–2001). He has made several 

animated films, puppet, flash, and drawn 

animation. Animal is his first off-school 

production with a real budget. Tatu’s films have 

been shown at many international festivals. 

His film Reflector (Kuvastin, 2001) won the 

UIP price at the Tampere International 

Short Film Festival (2002). 

8


Fiction | 2005 | Digibeta | 

Cinemascope | Stereo | 8’ 


Jari Haanperä 


Jussi Eerola 

Sound design: 

Johannes Raumonen, 


Music: 

Johannes Raumonen, 


Cast: 

Rea Mauranen 

Producer: 

Mirka Flander 

Production: 

Lumenia Productions 




YLE Co-productions 

BANG! 

A marginalized, middle-aged woman in her town house feels vulnerable and unprotected, so she 

buys a gun. Fear, combined with the self-confidence the gun brings about, causes her to attack 

the outside world. 

Haanperä’s earlier films have been set, for example, in the trunk of a car (The Dark Side of the 

Car, 2003), in a refrigerator (Indoor Light, 2001) and inside a machine (The Turkish Chess Machine 

/ Turkkilainen shakkikone, 2001). In Soul Seeker (Sielun etsijä, 2004) he examines the innermost 

parts of humans. In Haanperä’s films, the audiovisually created atmosphere is as important as 

the story. 


Jari Haanperä is director and media-artist. All his works 

are about light, sound and moving images. Haanperä is 

interested in analogue technology but also uses digital 

techniques. He is interested in early 20 th century technology 

romanticism / mysticism as well as the phenomena of our 

time. He uses whole range of the moving image, from 

pre-cinematic methods to video and 35mm fiction films. 

He blurs the line between dream and reality and observes 

surrounding world in that light. 

10


Experimental documentary | 2006 | 

DVD, Digital Betacam | 16:9 | 

Stereo | ~7’ 

Director, script: 

Seppo Rustanius 


Tahvo Hirvonen 

Editing: 

Samu Kuukka 

Music, sound design: 

Tipi Tuovinen 

Choreography: 

Anu Rajala 

Cast: 

Milla Koistinen 

Producer: 

Pertti Veijalainen 

Production: 

Illume Ltd. 




YLE TV1 

Body Language (working title) 

[ K e h o n k i e l i ( w o r k i n g t i t l e ) ] 

Film is a study of the movements of the human body consisting of different elements: women’s 

gymnastics, the history of modern dance and the contemporary dance inspired by the historical 

materials. Body language is the point at which they intersect.. 

Seppo Rustanius 

For 25 years Seppo Rustanius has written and directed documentaries 

about such subjects as the Finnish Civil War, the history of 

Russian Karelia, a singer, theatre and Finland’s cultural history. 

Rustanius studied film in Paris, Communications Theory and 

Mass Media at Tampere University and Theological Ethics and 

Religious Philosophy at Helsinki University. He is particularly 

interested in the problems of ethics and aesthetics and that of art 

and religion. His latest works include the documentaries Over the 

Ice (Jään yli, 2005), Karelian Terror (Karjalainen kiirastuli, 2002) 

and Red Orphans (Punaorvot valkoisessa Suomessa, 1999). 

12


14 

Fiction | 2005 | HD-cam, Digibeta, DVD | 

1:1,85 | Dolby stereo surround, 

Dolby digital 5.1 | 29’05’’ 


Marikki Hakola 


Raimo Uunila, Epa Tamminen, 


Sound design: 

Epa Tamminen 

Music: 

He Zhan Hao, Chen Gang 

Choreography: 

Dou Dou 

Dancers: 

Dou Dou, Ding Yuehong 

Producer: 


Production, sales theatre & TV: 

Kroma Productions Ltd. 

Co-producer: 

Naxos Rights International Ltd. 


The Ministry of Education Finland 


YLE Co-productions, YLE Teema 

International sales DVD: 

Marco Polo 

www.butterflylovers.fi 

Butterfly Lovers 

Butterfly Lovers is a music and dance film by director Marikki Hakola. A synthesis of the everpopular 

Chinese violin concerto “Butterfly Lovers” and choreography inspired by Chinese martial 

arts and modern dance, the film is an imaginative interpretation of the ancient Chinese fairy tale 

– “A Love Story of Liang Shan Bo and Zhu Ying Tai”. The film features violinist, Takako Nishizaki, 

conductor, James Judd, choreographer and dancer, Dou Dou, dancer, Ding Yuehong, and the New 

Zealand Symphony Orchestra. 


Hakola (b. 1960) is an internationally acclaimed media artist, director 

and executive producer. She is CEO of the production company Kroma 

Productions Ltd. Her works, beginning in 1981, include video tapes, 

dance and music films, video installations, and internet projects. She is 

also a postgraduate student aiming for a doctoral dissertation. Her topic 

is “Hypermontage – a Montage of the Moving Image in Multimedia”. 

Her directions include e.g. Butterfly Tones (2005), a documentary about 

the making of Butterfly Lovers and The Bewitched Child (L’enfant et les 

sortileges, 2004), a fantasy film based on the opera by Maurice Ravel.


16 

Experimental | 2004 | 35 mm | 

1:1,85 | Mono | 4’ 

Director, script, 

cinematography, editing: 

Pekka Uotila 

Cast: 

Anna-Leena Uotila 

Producer: 

HT Partanen 

Production: 

Alppiharjun Elokuva Oy 

Cameraman’s Dream – episode IV 

[ K u v a a j a n u n e t – e p i s o d i I V ] 

”I was watching my daughter, and for five short seconds I thought I understood something about 

life. 

My recent works had all been serious and deep so I wanted to capture something of life’s 

beauty. I had also noticed that to an adult’s eye my daughter, Anna-Leena, seemed to be living the 

mythical, wonderful part of childhood. 

My working method was simple. I had no script, and if I felt that I was getting nowhere, I put 

the films away for a while. My aim was to record Anna-Leena’s relationship with me, her father, 

who is filming. Our intuition took us to places that felt natural to Anna-Leena and important 

somehow to me. I quickly realised that the images I had shot needed specific other images so that 

they would become meaningful. The idea of the whole began to form. 

First there is an image, and if it works I will make a film out of it. I believe that this reverse 

method creates natural films that may have something new, as well as content and quality.” 

Pekka Uotila 

Pekka Uotila 

Pekka Uotila has been the cinematographer in dozens of short 

fictional films and documentaries, the most recent ones being 

Veikko Aaltonen’s documentary Working Class (Työväenluokka, 

2004) and fictional film Trench Road (Juoksuhaudantie, 2004). 

His most recent feature length film as a cinematographer is 

Kari Paljakka’s For the Living and the Dead (Eläville ja kuolleille, 

2005). Uotila has directed documentaries and free form short 

films, e.g. Eino and I (Eino ja mä, 1998), The Three Smiths 

(Kolme seppää, 2001) and 92 Shots (2004).


18 

Experimental | 2004 | 

35 mm | 1:1,85 | Dolby stereo | 40’ 


cinematography, editing, 

sound design, music, animation: 

Sami van Ingen 

Producer: 


Production: 

Jinx Ltd. 


AVEK, Alfred Kordelin Fund, 

The Finnish Cultural Foundation, 

Arts Council of Finland, 

Academy of Fine Arts, 

Regional Arts Council of 

Southern Savo 

Fokus 

“Fokus is a stirring viewing experience. It is based on an extremely minimal visual form: contrasts, 

textures and glowing colours. Its visual language consists of highly magnified and slowed 

images. 

The surface of the film material, the film grain and other anomalies function as integral parts 

of the whole. Van Ingen’s rigorous structuralist methods have produced beautiful, emotionally 

touching and many-layered results. Fokus is as close to the art of painting as cinema can possibly 

strive to be.” 

MT 


Sami van Ingen works with film, video and installation. 

A focal point in his approach is the examination of 

the moving image as a medium and its boundaries. 

His first international retrospective was organized by 

Pleasure Dome in Toronto, Canada in November 2005. 

Van Ingen lives and works in Hankavaara, 

a miniscule village in the eastern part of Finland 

and is presently working on his doctorate in 

the Academy of Fine Arts.


Fiction | 2005 | Digibeta | 29’ 

Director: 

Saara Cantell 

Script: 

Camilla Roos 


Heikki Färm 

Editing: 

Tuuli Kuittinen 

Sound design, music: 

Pekka Karjalainen 

Cast: 

Johanna af Schultén, 

Elin Petersdottir, Lilga Kovanko 

Producer: 

Pamela Mandart 

Production: 

Mandart Entertainment Ltd. 


The Finnish Film Foundation, NFTF, 

AVEK, Svenska Kulturfonden, Villilä 


YLE FST 

The Great Journey 

[ D e n s t o r a r e s a n ] 

The Great Journey is a story about an intense triangle, a story about love and dependence. Rosa 

is intimately involved with Elena. They dream about travelling abroad together, but when Elena 

suggests travelling for real there’s disagreement. It turns out Rosa doesn’t dare leave her elderly 

mother alone at home. 

Rosa is over 30 and still lives with her mother Sylvia. Sylvia dreams herself out of reality by 

reading atlases and detective stories. Rosa, too, sits daydreaming at her dull job. 

Rosa realizes she has to take her mother on the journey she keeps dreaming of before it’s 

too late, but at the same time she wants to travel with Elena. After learning that Elena has been 

offered a reporting trip to France, Rosa realizes she has to make a decision – one that turns out 

to be more complicated than she first thought. 

Saara Cantell 

Saara Cantell (born 1968) is a film director from Helsinki 

and a mother of three. She graduated as a director from 

the school of Motion Picture, Television and Production 

Design at the University of Art and Design in 1996 and 

has since directed numerous short films, for example, 

A Clear Winter’s Day (Peilikirkas päivä, 1997) and What If 

(Mahdollisuus, 2005) and also dance films, for example, 

A Tale of Shatters (Sirpalesatu, 1995) and Portrait (Potretti, 

2003), radio plays and two children’s television series. 

20


Experimental fiction | 2006 | 

35mm, Hdcam, Digibeta | 

16:9, 1:1,85 | Dolby Digital | 7’ 

Director, script, music: 

Esa Illi 

Cinematography, colourist: 

Pentti Keskimäki 

Editing: 

Esa Illi, Pentti Keskimäki 

Sound design: 

Olli Pärnänen 

Cast: 

Eetu Furuholm, Jani Toivola, 

Maria Heiskanen, Ville Virtanen 

Producer: 

Raimo Uunila 

Production: 

Grape Productions Oy 


AVEK (Make It Short Project of 

AVEK, The Finnish Film Foundation 

and YLE Co-productions) 



Hedgehog Thing 

[ S i i l i j u t t u ] 

A sweaty and tense afternoon on a city bus. Tired, angry and apathetic people. A small boy who’s 

afraid to go home and is sort of trapped on the bus. This is one of those moments when you’re 

balancing on a razor’s edge. 

In the end a person who has every reason to give up musters up the energy to care and the boy 

is saved. 

A small unselfish act, to rise above everyday life for a moment is enough for a feeling of mythical 

heroism to spark to life for a moment. 

Unless we see enough signs in our surrounding reality that at least one person cares and 

is capable of altruistic, unselfish acts during tough, stressful situations then some significant 

break-down will occur. We need these signs to believe in this world and to feel good. Especially 

children do. 

Esa Illi 

Esa Illi graduated as a director from the school of Motion Picture, 

Television and Production Design at the University of Art and Design. 

He has directed, for example, Midsummer Stories (Juhannustarinoita, 

1997), the short fictions which won awards at the Tampere film festival: 

Lazyman Death (Den lata döden, 1991), Break-In – The Anatomy of a Gig 

(Kili-Kali, 1994) and Monkey Business (Apinajuttu, 2000) and the EBUawarded 

short film, Kotiinpaluu (1998). His first full-length feature, 

Brothers (Broidit), was made in 2003. Other awards and honourable 

mentions: Nordisk panorama (Reykjavik 1994), Mannheim (1994 and 

2000), and Shanghai International Film Festival (2004). 

22




Stereo | 17’28” 


cinematography, editing: 

Tonislav Hristov 

Sound design: 

Juha Hakanen 

Producer: 

Pekka Aine 

Production: 

Oy Todellisuus Ab 


AVEK 


YLE TV1 Co-productions 

Hercules 

Tonislav Hristov’s Hercules is a short documentary about a Bulgarian man who earns his living 

entertaining people by swallowing swords, lying on nails and walking on broken glass. The dangers 

of this rare profession collide with the long tradition he is also teaching his young son. 

A warm and touching story of an exceptional occupation, Hercules is a vision of a craft moving 

from generation to the next, in the modern world of only shortly lived moments. Beautifully 

simple yet pure in its heart, Hercules shows us a child’s vision of the world around him as well as 

the humility and fears of the older man, scarred from his way of life. 

Tonislav Hristov 

Tonislav Hristov (b. 1978 in Vraza, Bulgaria) moved to Finland four and half 

years ago. He has graduated from the Technical University in Bulgaria. After 

working as a technical assistant to movie directors, Hristov started in 2003 

making his own movies. Hristov has also studied on the Etno Media Course, 

arranged by YLE in 2004, and is now a media student on MUNDO – a media 

education and work training project for immigrants and ethnic minorities 

living in Finland. The two-year-long studies take place at the Helsinki 

Polytechnic Stadia. The work training takes place at YLE, where Hristov has 

been making short documentaries for a weekly MUNTO-TV-slot on YLE TV1. 

24


Experimental animation | 2005 | 

Digibeta, Beta SP, DVD | 

4:3 Letterbox | Stereo | 7’15’’ 

Director, script, designer, animation: 

Eila Hutri 


Lasse Naukkarinen 

Editing, sound design, music: 

Dile Kolanen 

Producer: 

Lasse Naukkarinen 

Production: 

Ilokuva, Naukkarinen & Co. 

In a Nostalgic Way 

[ S a r j a k u v a p a t i n a a ] 

Like an aphorism, In a Nostalgic Way creates moments, states of minds and memories. Imagesound-poem 

drawing from pop art, sci-fi and comics lifts the veil on new dimensions and tunes 

one into the atmosphere of experiments. In a Nostalgic Way is a crisp exception, which inspires 

everyone to seek answers. 

Eila Hutri 

Eila Hutri (Naukkarinen) was born in 1951. She holds two MA 

degrees: one in Film and TV Directing and another in Arts Education 

from the University of Art and Design, Helsinki. Eila has worked as 

an animator for more than 25 years: on educational programs such 

as Tales from the City Dump series (Kertomuksia kaatopaikalta, 1993), 

which won the award for Europe’s best educational film in 1994 and 

as an Animation Director in the Animation Studios of Tallinn-Film’s 

Cod Liver Oil (Kalanmaksaöljyä, 1991). At the moment, Eila works with 

her husband, documentarist Lasse Naukkarinen, at their own independent 

film production company. In a Nostalgic Way is an imagesound-poem, 

which works as an introduction to her latest animation 

film =X, which is currently in pre-production. 

26


Fiction | 2005 | 

Digibeta, 35 mm | Dolby digital | 29’ 

Director: 

Klaus Härö 

Script: 

Camilla Roos 


Robert Nordström 

Editing: 

Timo Halonen 

Sound design: 

Kirka Sainio 

Cast: 

Annika Miiros, Marina Motaleff 

Producer: 

Pamela Mandart 

Production: 



The Finnish Film Foundation, NFTF, 

AVEK, Svenska Kulturfonden 


YLE FST 

The Leading Lady 

[ H u v u d r o l l e n ] 

Maria is an actress. For decades she’s only been given minor parts at the theatre, but at the same 

time she has dreamed of getting a leading role. Then, one day, she does get a leading role and is 

struck – by panic. 

The Leading Lady tells the story of Maria’s struggle to come to terms with her new leading role. 

She spends a weekend at the countryside villa to get some peace and quiet to work on her role, 

but she becomes ever more anxious and stressed out. Until she comes up with the solution: to 

model herself on cousin Frida who is perfect for the role. 

The Leading Lady is a film about an encounter between two women. Maria tries to exploit 

Frida’s life and character for her own purposes, but she soon realizes there’s more than that at 

stake. The tables are turned more than once during Maria’s and Frida’s weekend together. 

The Leading Lady is a film about being seen and being looked at. 

Klaus Härö 

Director Klaus Härö (born 1971) rose to fame 

with his debut film Elina (Näkymätön Elina, 2002). 

The film won over thirty domestic and international 

film awards and was Finland’s Oscar-nominee in 

2003. In 2003 Härö received Ingmar Bergman’s 

personal reward and a year later he received 

the State Award for Art. Klaus Härö’s film, 

Mother of Mine (Äideistä parhain, 2005), 

has also been chosen as Finland’s Oscar-nominee. 

28



Digibeta | 16:9 | 

Stereo | ~20’ 


Jaana Puhakka 

Music: 

Ilari Edelmann 

Producer: 

Jaana Puhakka 

Production: 

Kuvani Ky 





My Economic Life 

[ T a l o u s e l ä m ä n i ] 

This movie is an essay documentary on the power of money. 

The movie tells about the freedom and servitude of consumption in my own life. 

I am looking for a new language for a subjective social movie. 

The power of money is everywhere. It lives in our house too. 

Jaana Puhakka 

Documentary filmmaker and film worker. 

Born in 1963. 

30


Fiction | 2006 | 

Digibeta | 16:9 | Stereo | ~50’ 

Director: 

Panu Heikkilä 

Script: 

Panu Heikkilä, Ville Haapasalo 


Jussi Eerola 

Editing: 

Harri Ylönen 

Sound design: 

Janne Jankeri 

Cast: 

Ville Haapasalo, Olga Shuvalova, 

Oleg Letnikov, Andrei Tsumak, 

Valeri Filonov, Leonid Nitsenko, 

Juri Orlov, Viktor Terehov 

Producer: 

Pekka Lehtonen 

Production: 

Fantomatico Oy 

Co-producer: 

Nina Koljonen / Fantasiafilmi Oy 


The Finnish Film Foundation, AVEK 


YLE TV1 

Nature and Health 

[ L u o n t o j a t e r v e y s | P r i r o d a i Z d o r o v ’ e ] 

Kostya is looking for his place in his new home country, Finland. He’s trying to keep a distance 

from his father, Anatoly, and his older generation Russian friends. 

When Alexei, a family friend who occasionally employs Kostya, needs his apartment back, 

Kostya has to temporarily move back with his father. Alexei runs a stripper business and brings 

female dancers to Finland from St. Petersburg. Kostya gets to chauffeur Masha, a girl from St. 

Petersburg who dreams of being a singer, to a strip bar and back. 

The film is mainly in Russian. 

Panu Heikkilä 

Panu Heikkilä (born 1970) is a trained 

photographer. He previously directed 

the short films, Farmer’s Journal 

(Maamiehen päiväkirja, 2001), and 

Friday (Perjantai, 2003). 

32


Fiction | 2005 | 35 mm | 

1:2,35 | Dolby Digital | 13’39’’ 


Kimmo Taavila 


Heikki Färm 

Editing: 

Slawomir Krasnogorsk 

Sound design: 

Risto Iissalo 

Cast: 

Annaleena Lahtela, Pekka Strang 

Producer: 

Liisa Penttilä 

Production: 

Edith film Oy 





Off the Meter 

[ M i t t a r i ] 

A watercolour-painting taxi-driver gets an artist for a fare. The artist tries to explain her the 

essence of art. She is not quite sure if she gets it, but that probably has something to do with life 

being short and art being long. 

Kimmo Taavila 

Kimmo Taavila was born in 1965. After studying at 

the Department of Motion Picture, Television and 

Production Design, he has worked extensively in 

the film industry. During the past ten years he has 

edited numerous feature length films, the latest being 

Producing Adults (Lapsia ja aikuisia, 2004). Taavila’s 

previous film, Don’t Let It Kill You (Ei siihen kuole, 2002), 

was screened at several festivals and received the 

National Council for Cinema’s Quality Support Prize. 

34



Digibeta | 16:9 Anamorphic | 

Stereo | 8’30” 


Teemu Nikki 


Jyrki Arnikari 


Sakari Salli 

Cast: 

Topi Majaniemi, Aukusti Heikkilä, 

Antti Reini, Tarja Heinula, 

Pertti Sveholm, Milka Ahlroth 

Producers: 

Petri Jokiranta, Tero Kaukomaa 

Production: 

Blind Spot Pictures Oy 



(Make It Short Project of AVEK, 

The Finnish Film Foundation and 

YLE Co-productions) 


YLE 

Opportunist 

[ M e n e s t y j ä ] 

10-year old Marko is jealous of his next door neighbour who is the same age as he. Marko’s 

family and the neighbour boy’s family go for a ride. At the gas station Marko notices that his opportunity 

has come. 

Teemu Nikki 

Teemu Nikki (born 1975) has directed 

several music videos and commercial films. 

Opportunist is his first short film. 

36


Experimental | 2005 | 35 mm | 

Cinemascope | Dolby Digital | 6’ 

Director, editing: 

Mika Taanila 

Script: 

Mika Taanila, Jussi Eerola 


Jussi Eerola 

Sound recording, audio consultant: 

Olli Huhtanen 

Music: 

[The User] 

Producers: 

Cilla Werning, Ulla Simonen, 

executive producer Lasse Saarinen 

Production: 

Kinotar Oy 


Kiasma Museum of Contemporary 

Art in Helsinki, AVEK, 


Co-commissioned by 

SPACEX and LUX, with support from 

Arts Council England through South 

West Screen and Film London. 



Optical Sound 

[ O p t i n e n ä ä n i ] 

Office technology becomes obsolete very quickly. Old tools are transformed into musical instruments 

of the future. The film is based on the Symphony # 2 for Dot Matrix Printers, composed by 

[The User]. 

Optical sound continues the series of films by Mika Taanila which deal with technology, humanity, 

and futuristic ideas. His previous work includes The Future Is Not What It Used To Be 

(Tulevaisuus ei ole entisensä, 2002), Robocup 99 (2000), Futuro – A New Stance For Tomorrow 

(Futuro – tulevaisuuden olotila, 1998), and Thank You For The Music – A Film About Muzak (1997). 

Taanila’s films have been screened at over 200 international film festivals and in Biennales of 

Berlin, Istanbul and Venice. 

Mika Taanila 

Mika Taanila is an artist working fluently in the fields of 

documentary filmmaking, avant-garde filmmaking and 

the visual arts. His films deal with the issues of artificial, 

urban surroundings and futuristic utopias of 

contemporary science. 

“Relics and artefacts from futures both past and 

possible are the stuff of which Mika Taanila’s oeuvre is made. 

Taanila is a creature of our in-between times, which makes 

his works hard to classify.” Olaf Möller, Film Comment 

38



Digital Betacam, Beta SP | 

16:9 Anamorphic | Stereo | 12’38’’ 


Kimmo Yläkäs 


Tahvo Hirvonen 

Editing: 

Kimmo Kohtamäki, Kimmo Yläkäs 

Sound design: 

Janne Jankeri 

Producer: 

Hannu Oksanen 

Production: 

Oksanen Töölöstä Oy 

Produced as part of 

The Other Finland project: 

executive producers 

Ulla Simonen / AVEK, 

Iikka Vehkalahti / 

YLE TV2 Documentaries, 

Timo Korhonen / The Other Finland 


AVEK 



The Queue 

[ J o n o ] 

In Vaalimaa, the Finnish-Russian customs and border, hundreds of trucks wait to cross the border 

to Russia. The queue can be up to some twenty or thirty kilometres long. A Russian truck 

driver, Andrei Romantchenko waits for his turn in the queue. The queue jolts forward in its own 

time. He just waits, and waits. 

Andrei tries to sleep whenever he can. But if the queue moves, when he’s asleep, the others 

will jump in and take his place. He keeps in contact with his family over his mobile just to find out 

that his wife is out partying. Andrei wants to believe that even if he’s away a lot, he is still there to 

see everything important like the birth of the baby and his first steps. 

How does it feel, when you can do nothing but wait Frustrating Truck drivers are meant to 

be on the move. You can sit still in the queues for days, then you move a bit and then wait again 

repeatedly. 

Kimmo Yläkäs 

Kimmo Yläkäs studied film at the Lahti polytechnic, 

Institute of design, Film and TV department. 

His diploma work was the film The Long Gone 

(Poissa, 2004). The Queue is his first film outside 

the school. 

40



Digibeta | 16:9 | Dolby stereo | 16’40’’ 


Anna Maria Jóakimsdóttir Hutri 


Tuomo Hutri 

Editing: 

Joona Louhivuori 

Sound design: 

Anne Tolkkinen 

Music: 

Mats Gustavii 

Cast: 

Anders Tolergård, 

Gabriella Widestrand, 

Konsta Mäkelä 

Producer: 

Jarmo Lampela 

Production: 

Lasihelmi Filmi Oy 

Co-producer: 

Louise Lindbom JOJ Films AB 





Sam 

Sam and Malinda, a young couple in their early twenties, are taken aback by an unexpected 

pregnancy. Parenthood is a frightening but also a tempting prospect for Sam. Malinda is more 

reluctant. The experiences of family life are complex for both of these young souls. Malinda was 

only few years old when her father died from stomach cancer. Sam’s mom and dad divorced when 

he was in his early teens. Since then Sam has lost touch with his father and his heritage of Finnish 

culture. Malinda is curious to meet Sam’s father Atro, a hermit living in a trailer on the outskirts 

of the city and society with his old dog. Sam on the other hand is hesitant. After the reunion, the 

young couple see their future in a whole new light. 

Anna Maria Jóakimsdóttir Hutri 

Anna Maria Jóakimsdóttir Hutri was born in Reykjavik 

but grew up in Sweden. After receiving her Master’s of 

Fine Arts degree from the University of Art and Design 

in Helsinki, she’s been making films for the Finland- 

Swedish TV and Lasihelmi Filmi, among others. 

At present she’s working on a manuscript for a 

feature film that partly takes place in Iceland. 

The film is based on a true story from the many 

memories of childhood. 

42



DigiBeta | 16:9 | Stereo | 13’57’’ 


Pekka Korhonen 

Animation: 

Katja Kettu, Pekka Korhonen and 

Mikko Torvinen 

Editing: 

Harri Ylönen 


Arttu Kontkanen 

Voice cast: 

Katja Kukkola, Petteri Summanen, 

Juha Kaijomaa 

Producer: 


Production: 

Edith film Oy 





Siberian Express 

Pedro is a rabbit in love. His heart yearns for the beautiful Ramona, but he dares not act upon 

his feelings. A Mysterious Stranger shows up and sweeps the frustrated Ramona off her hairy feet. 

Consequently, a tragic duel takes place between rabbit and wolf in the cactus desert at night. Who 

is to win the woman’s heart Only Siberia can save the lovers. 

Pekka Korhonen 

Pekka Korhonen (b. 1968) graduated from the Arts 

Academy at Turku Polytechnic in 1998. His student 

works include e.g. the award-winning Shadows in the 

Margarine (Varjoja margariinissa, 1996), In Bed with 

the Wolf (Sängyssä suden kanssa, 1997), and Little Men 

(Pieniä miehiä, 1998). After graduating, he has worked 

as a director and an animator on the tv show 

Risto Räppääjä, and as an animator on various 

animated cartoons and puppet animations. 

44




Stereo | 16’ 

Directors, script, editing: 

Susanna Helke & Virpi Suutari 


Heikki Färm 

Sound design: 


Music: 

Timo Hietala 

Producer: 

Cilla Werning 

Executive producer: 

Lasse Saarinen 

Production: 

Kinotar Oy 




YLE 

Spring 

[ K e v ä t ] 

A school day ends and the scruffy fatigue of the last school weeks of spring is unleashed by restless 

wandering in the woods, stump lands and shopping malls of the suburbs. Young boys are full of 

anarchy and frenzy. They walk like termites in the scenery divided by ring roads taking with them 

everything they can. The film stars 12–13-year-old boys and a few same-aged girls who live in a 

Northern Helsinki suburb. The film depicts the basic state of childhood of our time: restlessness. 


Directors Susanna Helke and Virpi Suutari have 

worked together since 1993. Their film making 

career together includes, for example, the following 

films: The Idle Ones (Joutilaat, 2001) – a documentary 

about boys getting a grip on their lives; A Soap 

Dealer’s Sunday (Saippuakauppiaan sunnuntai, 1998) 

– a documentary about getting lost in time; and 

White Sky (Valkoinen taivas, 1998) – a documentary 

essay about adapting to destruction. 

46



Digibeta | 16:9 | Stereo | 13’43’’ 


Kaisa Penttilä 

Animators: 

Jan Andersson and Kaisa Penttilä 


Ville Penttilä 

Editing: 

Hannele Majaniemi 


Sakari Salli 

Voice cast: 

Leena Uotila, Janne Reinikainen, 

Niko Saarela, Juho Milonoff, 

Heikki Nousiainen 

Producer: 


Production: 

Edith film Oy 




YLE Co-Productions 

Superhero’s Son 

[ S u p e r m i e h e n p o i k a ] 

In a small apartment an ordinary boy lives with his mother. His life is quite ordinary except for 

his mother, who is a superhero. A caring mother turns into a powerful world-saving superhero 

within seconds and leaves on a rescue mission and the little boy is alone – once again. With help 

of an Alley Cat the Boy will take justice into his own hands and carry out a dubious plan... 

Kaisa Penttilä 

Kaisa Penttilä (born 1975) graduated from the Art 

Academy of Turku in 1998. Her previous works are 

Shadows in Margarine (Varjoja margariinissa, 1996), 

The Last Apparition (Viimeinen ilmestys, 1996), 

In the Soup (Liemessä, 1998), which received 

the Risto Jarva-award at the Tampere International 

Short Film Festival, and Air Mail (Lentoposti, 2002), 

which received the national quality grant and 

awards at several festivals. 

48



Digibeta | 16:9 | Stereo | 26’ 


Markku Haapalehto 



Editing: 

Timo Halonen 


Juri Seppä 

Cast: 

Johanna Kokko, Iikka Forss 

Producers: 

Mika Ritalahti, Niko Ritalahti 

Production: 

Silva Mysterium Oy 




YLE TV1 

They Throw Dwarfs Too, Don’t They 

[ H e i t e l l ä ä n h ä n k ä ä p i ö i t ä k i n ] 

Jaana, 29, surprises his boyfriend Jesse on his 30 th birthday by taking him along to two prostitutes 

as a present. She thinks she’s preventing his “thirties crisis” though she’s actually suffering 

from her own. Jaana abhors commitment as much as breaking up, getting stuck in a rut as much 

as moving to a new phase. Her gift is a test for both of them. She tests the power of their love with 

the ultimate method. Her gift leads to disaster and humiliation and another and yet another. But 

also to a cleansing show-down. When all seems lost, the twosome save their relationship together. 

Both Jaana and Jesse remember why they fell in love with each other and attain the certainty they 

need. At least for now. 

Markku Haapalehto 

A writer/director who has earned his stripes 

with commercials and believes that the truth 

is found in Swedish comedy-dramas, 

British sketch shows, Spanish red wine, 

Finnish sauna and Gary Larson’s Far Side. 

50




Stereo | 6’ 

Directors, script, editing: 



Heikki Färm 

Sound design: 


Producer: 

Cilla Werning 

Executive producer: 

Lasse Saarinen 

Production: 

Kinotar Oy 




YLE 

War 

[ S o t a ] 

A group of young suburban boys has gathered to play airsoft. Their equipment resembles that of 

real infantry men down to the smallest detail. Their camouflage outfits blend in with the Finnish 

suburban forest. Machine guns shoot sustained fire and when a magazine is empty a new one 

is loaded professionally. The entertainment industry produces equipment for games in which 

children emulate the adult world ever more authentically using toys. 


Directors Susanna Helke and Virpi Suutari have 

worked together since 1993. Their film making 

career together includes, for example, the following 

films: The Idle Ones (Joutilaat, 2001) – a documentary 

about boys getting a grip on their lives; A Soap 

Dealer’s Sunday (Saippuakauppiaan sunnuntai, 1998) 

– a documentary about getting lost in time; and 

White Sky (Valkoinen taivas, 1998) – a documentary 

essay about adapting to destruction. 

52



Digibeta, DVD, Beta SP | 16:9, 4:3 | 

Stereo | 28’30’’ 


Ann-Cathrine Fröjdö 


Bo Forsander 

Editing: 

Katarina Wiklund 

Sound design: 

Johan Forslund, Henrik Meierkord 

Music: 

Johan Söderqvist 

Cast: 

Ylva Ekblad, Leonora Brandt, 

Johan Fagerudd 

Producer: 

Mårten Fröjdö 

Production: 

McArena Ab 




YLE FST, SVT 

The Wedding 

[ B r ö l l o p e t ] 

”The year I turned eleven the whole world was an adventure 

and for me, the village was the world 

and all the people who lived there... 

I started to discover that many things didn’t make sense 

When grown-ups said one thing they meant another... 

What did love look like 

I kept wondering about that...” 

The Wedding sets out from Mia’s everyday life. Her mother’s strong memories from her childhood 

lead to fantasy meeting reality – a wedding materializes in front of Mia’s eyes. 

The short film is based on the book The Wedding by Katarina Torfason. The film was shot in 

Kronoby in Ostrobothnia during summer 2004. 

Ann-Cathrine Fröjdö 

Ann-Cathrine Fröjdö (born 1959) is a 

Finnish-Swedish actress and director 

who works in film, theatre and art 

projects, among other things. 

54


Experimental | 2006 | 

Digibeta | 16:9 | Dolby SR | 13’ 


Salla Tykkä 


Samuli Saastamoinen 

Underwater cinematography: 


Sound design: 

Janne Jankeri 

Music: 

Max Savikangas 

Cast: 

Terhi Suorlahti 

Producer: 

Misha Jaari 

Production: 

Five Years Production Oy 




YLE TV1 

Zoo 

A woman is taking pictures of cages in a zoo. The animals from within stare back at the woman 

and follow her with their eyes. The viewer and the object change places. The woman plunges into 

deep water, where a game of violent underwater rugby is on. She surfaces to breathe, but the 

stares of the animals and the camera’s view block her escape route. In desperation she makes an 

extreme decision. 

Salla Tykkä 

Salla Tykkä was born in 1973 in Helsinki, Finland, 

where she lives and works today. She graduated from 

the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki in 2003. She has 

been working with photography, video and film since 

1996, and she had her first solo show in 1997. In 1999 

she directed the short film Power. The short film trilogy 

Cave was completed in 2003. Salla Tykkä’s films have 

been shown in museums and galleries worldwide and 

at many international film festivals. 

56


Festival contacts 

for all titles: 


Kanavakatu 12 

FI-00160 Helsinki 

Tel. +358 9 6220 300 

Fax +358 9 6220 3060 

ses@ses.fi 

www.ses.fi 

Contacts 

Alppiharjun Elokuva Oy 

Viipurinkatu 16 B 22 


Tel. +358 50 5634 084 

Fax +358 9 1481 636 

alppiharjunelokuva@jippii.fi 

www.alppiharjunelokuva.com 

Blind Spot Pictures Oy 

Kalliolanrinne 4 


Tel. +358 9 7742 8360 

Fax +358 9 7742 8350 

spot@blindspot.fi 

www.blindspot.fi 

Edith film Oy 

Tehtaankatu 5 C 21 


Tel. +358 9 6124 9660 

Mobile +358 40 505 0015 

Fax +358 9 6227 0026 

info@edithfilm.fi 

www.edithfilm.fi 

Elokuvaosuuskunta 

Camera Cagliostro 

Vellamonkatu 1 

FI-33100 Tampere 

Tel. +358 3 2226 790 

Mobile +358 41 4344 399 

jyrki@cameracagliostro.fi 

www.cameracagliostro.fi 

Fantomatico Oy 

Koskelantie 21 A 


Tel. +358 9 8561 9908 

Fax +358 9 8561 9954 

info@fantomatico.org 

Five Years Production Oy 

Pikkupurontie 2 


Tel. +358 45 674 0272 

jaari@saunalahti.fi 

Grape Productions Oy 

Magnusborg 

FI-06100 Porvoo 

Tel. +358 40 540 2855 

grape@magnusborg.fi 

Illume Oy 

Palkkatilankatu 7 


Tel./Fax +358 9 1481 489 

illume@illume.fi 

www.illume.fi 

Ilokuva, Naukkarinen & Co. 

Palotie 23 

FI-02760 Espoo 

Tel. +358 9 8554 860 

Fax +358 9 8813 592 

ilokuva@ilokuva.fi 

www.ilokuva.fi 

58

Editor: Satu Elo | Translations: Broadcast Text | Layout: Maikki Rantala, Praxis Oy | Printed by: Erikoispaino Oy, Helsinki, 2005 | ISSN 1796-072X 

Front cover: Animal by Tatu Pohjavirta | Back cover: Optical Sound by Mika Taanila, Hedgehog Thing by Esa Illi, Fokus by Sami van Ingen, 

The Queue by Kimmo Yläkäs, Siberian Express by Pekka Korhonen, Body Language by Seppo Rustanius 

Jinx Ltd. 

Hankavaarankaari 575 

FI-Savonranta 58300 

Tel. +358 50 5866 337 

vaningen@yahoo.com 

Kinotar Oy 

Vuorikatu 16 A 9 


Tel. +358 9 1351 864 

Fax +358 9 1357 864 

kinotar@kinotar.com 

www.kinotar.com 

Klaffi Productions 

Nahkatehtaankatu 2 

FI-90100 Oulu 

Tel. +358 8 8811 623 

Fax +358 8 8811 624 

klaffi@klaffi.com 

www.klaffi.com 

Kroma Productions Ltd. 

Magnusborg 


Tel. +358 19 5348 015 

Fax +358 19 5348 016 

kroma@magnusborg.fi 

www.kromaproductions.net 

Kuvani Ky 

Sillanmäki 10 


Tel. +358 40 5426 277 

Fax. +358 19 5348 535 

jaana.puhakka@kolumbus.fi 

Lasihelmi Filmi Oy 

Kalliolanrinne 4 


Tel. +358 9 7742 830 

Fax +358 9 7742 8350 

toimisto@lasihelmi.fi 

www.lasihelmi.fi 

Lumenia Productions 

PL 719 


Tel. +358 40 5523 410 

flander@mbnet.fi 


Kalevankatu 28 A 3 


Tel. +358 9 694 3142 

Fax. +358 9 694 3136 

mandart@mandart.com 

www.mandart.com 

McArena Ab 

Elverksgatan 10 

AX-22100 Mariehamn, Åland 

Tel. +358 18 128 24 

info@mcarena.aland.fi 

Oksanen Töölöstä Oy 

Kymenlaaksonkatu 10 

FI-48100 Kotka 

Tel./Fax +358 5 2250 800 

hannu.oksanen@mediacenter.fi 

www.mediacenter.fi 

Silva Mysterium Oy 

Pulttitie 16 


Tel. +358 9 7594 720 

Fax +358 9 7594 7240 

mika.ritalahti@silvamysterium.fi 

www.silvamysterium.fi 

Oy Todellisuus Ab 

Suomenlinna C 83 A 8 


Tel. +358 400 604 239 

pekka.aine@todellisuus.inet.fi 

The Finnish Film Foundation | Kanavakatu 12 | FI-00160 Helsinki | Tel. +358 9 6220 300 | Fax +358 9 6220 3060 | ses@ses.fi | www.ses.fi 

59



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Finnish Short Films 2006

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